The Brain behind the Success of the American Institute of Architects

Robert Ivy began working in 1996 as the editor in chief of Architectural Record, an architectural journal that has over time grown to become the widely read journal among the architects. He previously held the role of the Chief Editor at McGraw-Hill Construction Media. Its journals include HQ Magazine, the Magazine of Sustainable Design, Constructor, and Architectural Record. During the designing of the National Dwight Memorial, Robert Ivy served on the architect’s panel during the selection of, Frank Gehry as the lead architect.

From 1981 to 1996, Robert Ivy served as a professional principal at Dean & Ivy as well as a critic for various architectural journals. Ivy’s relentless efforts helped Architectural Record to earn numerous prestigious awards for its excellence in publishing. These awards included the American Society of Magazine Award. It was also recognized by the premier magazine journalism for performing excellently in the publishing industry. The award came as a surprise because professional journals rarely bag some of these awards. Besides, the architectural journal was also awarded the Website of the Year Award by the MPA Digital as well as 26 Jesse H. Neal Awards.

Robert was in 2009 honored with the Crain Award, which is the highest recognition for a publisher in the American media industry. Previously, he had won several other distinctions including the 1998 McGraw-Hill Award for his superb managerial skills. Over time, Ivy has earned designation as the Design Future Council’s Senior Fellow. In 2010, Robert Ivy was unanimously voted as the Lead Architect by the national architecture association, Alpha Rho Chi. That honor was in recognition of his relentless efforts of advancing the value of architecture in the society.

Over time, Robert Ivy has grown his career to become an iconic architect. He even shares the designation with the first holder of a degree in Architecture in America, Dr. Nathan Clifford Ricker. Other iconic architects that Ivy shares designation with include Lude Mies van der Rohe, Cass Gilbert, I.M. Pei, and John Wellborn Root. Robert is one of the seven architects to have ever won this honor in the 100-year history of the American architecture fraternity. He is also the only architect to have ever won this prestigious award in the 21st century. Robert currently works at American Institute of Architects (AIA), a professional organization for American architects as the Editor in Chief. Here, he specializes in community redevelopment, education, public outreach, and government advocacy to improve the image of the architecture profession.